An example of this kind of terminals is disclosed in Patent Literature 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the external appearance of a terminal which is a component of a connector disclosed in Patent Literature 1, and FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b) illustrates a state at each insertion position when the terminal of FIG. 3 has been inserted in a terminal accommodating chamber of a connector housing.
A terminal 120 as shown in FIG. 3 has a square tubular portion 121 which is provided at its front end and is surrounded by a peripheral wall 121a, and a conductor-connectable portion 122 and a cover-connectable portion 123 for an electric wire which are provided at its rear end. The box portion 121 is a portion for receiving a male terminal of a mating connector, and has a spring piece (not shown) which is provided therein and fixes the received male terminal in cooperation with the peripheral wall 121a of the box portion. Further, at the front end of the box portion 121, a protruding portion 125 made by folding is provided, and at the read end of the protruding portion 125, an engaging portion 126 which is engaged with a lance to be described below is provided. The front end of the protruding portion 125 is a portion which collides with the lance, first of all, when the terminal 120 is inserted, and has a curved surface for making contact on the lance smoothly.
In a case of assembling the terminal 120 with a connector housing, thereby constructing a connector, the terminal 120 attached to the front end of the electric wire is inserted from the rear end of a terminal accommodating chamber 111 of a connector housing 110 into the terminal accommodating chamber, as shown in FIG. 4(a). Inside the terminal accommodating chamber 111 of the connector housing 110, a lance 116 which is flexible in a direction (a vertical direction in FIG. 4(a) or FIG. 4(b)) intersecting with the insertion direction of the terminal 120 is provided, and the front end portion of the lance 116 is composed of a locking portion 116c which is engaged with the engaging portion 126 of the terminal 120.
Then, when the terminal 120 is inserted from the rear end of the terminal accommodating chamber 111, first, as shown in the lower stage of FIG. 4(a), the protruding portion 125 of the box portion 121 of the inserted terminal 120 contacts on the lance 116. When the terminal 120 is further inserted, the protruding portion 125 comes into sliding contact with the lance 116 such that the lance 116 is bent downward, as shown in the upper stage of FIG. 4(a). When the terminal 120 is inserted still further to reach a predetermined position, as shown in the upper and lower stages of FIG. 4(b), the protruding portion 125 passes through the position of the lance 116, and at this stage, the lance 116 returns from the bent state to the original position such that the front end portion (the locking portion 116c) of the lance 116 is engaged with the engaging portion 126 on the rear side of the protruding portion 125 of the terminal 120. As a result, the terminal 120 is fixed so as not to fall out toward the rear side. Further, the entire terminal 120 is inserted and fixed, whereby the connector is constructed.